Citizen Canine Science

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162 – August, 2020

By Caroline Coile

Stay at home, stay at home…um, we’re dog show folk, we don’t do stay at home. Not well, at least. So maybe you’ve taken the opportunity to breed that litter. Or two. Maybe you’ve done the virtual Trick Dog thing–every last level. With every last dog. And maybe you’ve got your dogs’ virtual Rally titles. And while I suppose you could take up dock diving or tracking or some other canine sport, maybe you’re not so thrilled about running around in the heat. If only there were more dog things you could do online…

Fear not! Have you ever considered becoming a scientist? Okay, so maybe you won’t pick up a Ph.D. in your spare time, but you can participate in a lab full of canine science projects from the air-conditioned comfort of your home. All you need is a computer and a dog, and you’re set to take part in one of the growing number of Citizen Science dog projects.

Most are easy, and just require filling out a survey; for example, C-Barq (vetapps.vet.upenn.edu/cbarq/), the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire, developed by James Serpall and associated with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Interaction of Animals & Society. There’s also a Fe-Barq for cats, by the way. According to Dr. Serpell, more than 50,000 dogs representing more than 290 breeds and mixes have been analyzed so far. It’s fun to compare your dog’s results to the other participants, and it’s free!

Click here to read the complete article
162 – August, 2020

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=188346

Posted by AnthonyA on Aug 13 2020. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.